HS SOFTBALL: NBC rolls past Princeton in playoff opener

COLUMBUS — The New York Yankees of the 1920’s and 30’s were famous for late rallies that came to be known as “five o’clock thunder,” but what Northern Burlington did to Princeton in a first-round state tournament game Monday was probably more akin to a blitzkrieg.

That’s because the Greyhounds turned loose every offensive weapon it had in a sudden ferocity and rolled over the beleaguered Tigers, scoring 10 runs in a span of only two thirds of an inning to win 10-0 in five.

After a BCSL semifinal game with Bordentown Wednesday, the win moves Northern into the second round of the Central Jersey Group II Softball Tournament at home Thursday against Ocean Township.

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The score was tied 0-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth before Kacie Herity finally broke the deadlock with a two run single. Northern Burlington never stopped hitting until Ashley Zulla’s RBI single with one out in the fifth brought in the game ending run.

Amazingly, it seemed as if the Greyhound hitters still had a lot more gas left in their tank as Zulla’s single would have been at least a double and scored two, if it hadn’t been the game ender, and Northern was showing no signs of easing up.

“Until the game is over, I’m confident we can come back from any deficit,” Northern head coach Tara Corcoran said of her team’s explosive offensive ability. “It starts with Meghin (Stanton, the team’s pitcher and only senior) not giving up and not being satisfied until the game is over. We’ve had two walk off wins this year, so I have confidence in our ability to score.”

It’s not surprising that Corcoran would talk about the rally as a comeback as Princeton pitcher Sarah Eisenach dominated the Northern Burlington lineup through the first three innings. Although lacking great speed, Eisenach was all pitch location and changing speeds as she had opposing hitters swinging early, late and straight up on a variety of pitches. She allowed only one solid hit through three, a double to left by Meredith Taylor, and pitched her way out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the second.

It was actually a Princeton throwing error that opened the door for the six run fourth inning, but even in spite of that miscue, Northern Burlington had plenty of hits left in its bats. After two times through the order, Eisenach had clearly run out of tricks to hold off its explosive hitters. Meanwhile, Northern pitcher Stanton never let a Princeton runner past second, spreading out four hits over five innings.

“She deserved better,” Princeton coach Dave Boehm said of his pitchers’ effort. “Sarah really did pitch a good game.

“It was a tough way for the seniors to end (the season.) It was a closer game than it appeared but it’s still 10-0 on the scoreboard. Overall, I thought we had a good season. We got 11 wins. I would have liked to have gotten 12, but not today.”

A single by Alex Zulla had started the Northern fourth and after Princeton misplayed Savannah Bowen’s sacrifice bunt, Herity’s single put the Greyhounds up 2-0. Stanton followed with another single and after a walk to Meredith Taylor, Ashley Zulla drove in two runs with a triple. Two more runs scored on wild pitches.

In the fifth, Northern put seven straight runners on base after making an opening out. Megan Mayernik singled and Bowen laid down a perfect bunt to reach safely before number nine hitter Shaye Santos put a final exclamation point on the power surge by crushing a no-doubt-about-it three run homer deep over the fence in dead center field.